25-10-2014
The beautiful photos taken by Bob Noto, who in this case portrayed Seafood salad with celery sorbet, illustrate this piece, also written by the photographer, who for a long time has been a friend and fan of Entiana Osmenzeza’s cuisine. The chef from Se.sto on Arno in Florence (tel.+39.055.27152821) grew up with the lessons learnt from her Albanian grandmother and later from the great chef Fulvio Pierangelini. Her fame, in this period, has also increased thanks to her participation in TV programme Hell's Kitchen
Her name is Entiana Osmenzeza, born in 1976, and perhaps from her name one can already guess her Albanian origins: she was in fact born in the ancient village of Berat, in Southern Albania. Her passion for cuisine was born right in Berat, where, following the steps of her grandmother, who knew how to put to use the ingredients she had at hand to create delicious dishes, she learnt the first secrets of gastronomic creativity.
Entiana arrived in Italy, to be precise in Torino, at 16. Here she attended Les Meridiens catering school, followed by lots of experience in some restaurants in town. The meeting with important chefs such as Gualtiero Marchesi and most of all Fulvio Pierangelini (whom she considers her true master) were, however, crucial.
Breast of Canette with braised onion and apple water
Her style starts, without doubt, from the Mediterranean cuisine culture, among her influences, however, there are certainly also the many things she learnt during a two-month internship at Noma with Renè Redzepi (who also has Albanian origins, on his father’s side). All this is re-elaborated and interpreted with lightness, with an approach that is capable of moving from tradition to innovation effortlessly.
Entiana Osmenzeza’s Summer mosaic
Spaghetti from Gragnano with blue fish ragout
Reviews, recommendations and trends from Italy, signed by all the authors of Identità Golose
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This article is curated by Identità Golose, the publication that organises the international fine dining congress, publishes website www.identitagolose.com and the online Guida Identità Golose, on top of curating many other events in Italy and abroad